Process of making rubberlike materials



No Drawing.

Patented Oct. 8, 1929 I UNITED v STATES, PATENT orrlce J'OHN C. WICHMANN, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO CACTUS QOMPANY OF AMERICA, A. CORPORATION raocass or MhKING-R BBERLIKE M ERIALS vMy invention relates to a process-of making a rubber-like-mat-erial and the resulting product. 7

It is an object of this invention to treat certain plants in a manner to form a product which is very similar to the Para rubber of commerce. f

In my United States Patent, No. 1,379,149, granted May 24, 1921, for 'a process of making rubber-like material and resulting product, and in myUnited States Patent'No. 1,435,360, granted November 14, 1922, for a have described a process of treating members of the cactus family, in which among other ingredients asphaltum was'added:

I have discovered in the course'of my-ex- .periments that the processes in the patents mentioned may be simplified and that the addition of asphaltum may be dispense d with without in any manner detracting from the qualities of a finer product.

My invention consists in the steps ofth process hereinafter described and claimed:

I take members of the cactus family, (Cactaceae) the Burbank spineless cactus prickly pear) and ocotillo.- I may use them either singly or collectivelyin my process.-

The plant is first macerated and-placed in .a steam jacketed boiler and cooked for about I one half hour at ten pounds pressure or 240 F. This temperature will release all the gummy and mucilaginous substances next to the skin of the plant where they are found in greatest abun clance. The cooked pulp is now placed in a steam jacketed press and the juice extracted therefrom. I now add -1 or 2 ounces of sodium tungstate or sodium molybof an accelerator such as is-'well known in BO/the art of processing rubber. However, I

Application filed September 20, 1927. Serial No 220,842.

prefer to use a hexam'ethylene tetramine as an accelerator, which I prefer to mix with 3 pounds of zinc oxide. The accelerator thus prepared acts as a catalyst and gives tensile strength and imparts high resilience to the finished cactus rubber com ound. The mixtureis thoroughly stirred and eated ,in a closed vessel, preferably steam jacketed under a pressure of 5 pounds for approximately one and one half hours. The vessel is preferably provided with a stirring, mechanism to keep the mixture agitated. process of making rubber-like material, I 4

BB R The mixture is then run into fiat coolingdizing treatmenthad the appearance and color of heavy molasses is slowly oxidized and solidified to a rubber-like material resembling crude Para rubber and may be used as such in'the manufacture of rubber articles fordall purposes for :which Para rubber is use The term rubber in the claims is intended to cover-both 'pure Para rubber as well as the reclaimed rubber.

Various changes may be made in the steps of the process by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

lclaimz 1. A process of making a rubber-like material'comprising heating the fleshy parts of I members of the cactus family above the boiling point of water, extracting the j uice'therefrom, adding approximately two ounces of sodium tungstate, concentrating the juice, the

sodium tungstate bein calculated on-100 pounds of concentrated uice, adding approximately 15 pounds rubber dissolved in turpentine, 2 pounds of powdered sulphur and one half pound of boiled linseed oil to the mixture, heating the mass in a closed vessel under agitation under a pressure of 5 pounds for one and one-half hours anddrying and oxidizing the resulting mass.

2. A rubber-like materialresulting from the boiling of the concentrated juice of the fleshy parts of the cactus family in association with sodium tungstate, sodium molybdate, boiled linseed voil and rubber dissolved in turpentine, and the drying and oxidizing of the resulting m'ass.

3. A rubber-like material resulting from boiling 1'00 pounds of concentrated juice of the fleshy parts of members of the cactus family together with 2 ounces of sodium tungstate, pounds of rubber dissolved in tur- V pentine, pound boiled linseed oil, and the drying and oxidizing of the resulting mass. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN (J. WICHMANN. 

